MUTLU YILLAR & MUTLU NOELLER / MERRY CHRISTMAS / BUON NATALE / FELIZ NAVIDAD / JOYEUX NOEL

YENİ ALBÜM KAYITLARI / NEW ALBUM RECORDING SESSIONS

ELIXIR

UCM UnCatalogued Music Production / Katalog Dışı Müzik Prodüksiyonu

UCM UnCatalogued Music Production

MIRCAN- SEVI DIZELERI / LINES OF LOVE

Mircan
Sevi Dizeleri / Lİnes of Love
Album: Elixir, 2010
Music: Mircan
Lyrics: Gulten Akin

Bu vidyo klip, Istanbul Hollanda Başkonsolosluğu sarayında yaşamış olan Beyaz Gül'e ve Beyaz Gül gibi dönmeyecek sevgilileri bekleyen kadınlara ithaf edilmiştir. Beyaz Gül ve Cornelius Calkoen, 1700'lü yıllarda efsanevi bir aşkla birbirlerine bağlandılar. Ancak, Beyaz Gül sevgilisini beklerken soldu ve birbirlerinden ayrı öldüler.
This video is dedicated to White Rose who has lived in the Palace of the Consulate General of Holland in Istanbul. White Rose and Cornelius Calkoen the Consulate General had a legendary love to each other in the 1700 s yet White Rose has withered away while waiting and they died separately.

İnsan Sesi / Voice: Mircan Piyano / Piano: Ceyda Pirali Bandaneon: Gustavo Battistessa Keman / Violin: Burcu Bal
Viyola / Viola: Başak Elkutlu Çello / Cello: Şirin Vatan Bas gitar / Bass: Saltuk Tukur

SEVI DIZELERI
Özlemi beş geçe de
Ölüme yarım kala
Uslu dost dalgın yörük
Bir yol da bize uğra
Okşadın düzledin dağları
Biçtin dağıttın yelleri
Güzel dost çılgın yörük
Bir yol da bize uğra

Yanağın zemheri ayı
Yarpuz ve fesleğen
Yüzünü yüzüme daya
Beni sana bağlayan ipeği
Soluğunla dirilt
Derdimi kimseye vermek istemem
Erincimi paylas

Artık sormuyorum, biliyorum
-O geçti mi buradan?
Aramızdaki ipek hışırtısından
Bereketli buğday kokusundan
Süt kabartısından
Masaya düşen güneşten
Sesin sesime katışıyor

LINES OF LOVE
Five minutes past longing
Half an hour 'til death
A quiet friend, a contemplative nomad
One of these times stop by here too
You caressed the mountains, brought them low
You rode upon the winds
Wonderful friend, crazy nomad
One of these times stop by here too

Your cheek is a cold winter night
Pennyroyal and sweet basil
Put your face to mine
With your breath bring to life
The silk that binds me to you
I would not want to burden anyone
with my troubles
So share in my tranquility

I ask no longer, I don't know
Did he pass by here?
In the rustle of silk between us
In the scent of bountiful wheat
In the froth of milk
In the sunlight falling on the table
Your voice joins with mine

DEPREMIN ARDINDAN : BİZDEN CACIK OLMAZ!

Bu kez Van’ı vurdu deprem: 7.2

Çoğumuz gitmemişizdir, görmemişizdir. İlkokul yıllarımızdan beri hepimiz gölüyle biliriz en azından. En son Van'da çekilmiş bir belgesel için müzik vermiştim genç bir yönetmene. Bir Italyan'la evlenen Vanlı bir genç kadının öyküsüyle ilgiliydi. Filmle biraz girmiştim şehrin içine.

Biliyorum ki, pek çok medeniyeti koynunda saklamış bir koca kervansaray olmuş adeta Van.

7.2 büyüklüğünde bir deprem bizimkisi gibi bir ülke ve bu ülkenin Anadolu’daki bir şehri için çok büyük bir deprem. Şu hiç sevmediğim betonarme yapılar söz konusu olduğunda zaten yeterince sıkı olmayan kontrol mekanizmalarının Anadolu şehirlerinde daha da serbest olduğu bilinen bir şey. Her depremin ardından pek çok şey söylenir. Facianın ardından gelen ilk günlerde pek çok şey tartışılır, bağırılır, çağırılır ve sonra hayat normale döner. Yaşamaya devam etmek için insan beyni unutmak zorundadır ve unutulur. Bu deprem de unutulur. Eski tas eski hamam, her şey devam eder. Müteahhitler yine nereden nasıl tasarruf edeceklerinin hesabını yaparlar. Demir daha az olsun, beton kalitesi bu kadar yüksek olmasın, temeller yeterince derin olmasın, gerektiği zamen radye veya kazıklı olmasın diye çabalarlar. Hele hele daha ileri teknolojiler! “Aman aman...... yapmayın Mircan Hanım, siz bizi iflas mı ettireceksiniz!” Yeter ki daha çok para kazansınlar. İnsanlar, evlerini alırlarken, projelerini incelemeyip, yapı güvenliğine dair sorular sormayıp, mutfak tezgahının, parkelerinin, doğramalarının kaliteleri, markaları nedir diye bakmaya devam ederler. İnsanlar çok katlı betonarme binalar içinde istifleme usulü yaşamaya devam ederler. Yeter ki başlarını sokacak bir yerleri olsun.

Bu işleri bilen biz mühendisler her daim müteahhitlerle mücadele ederiz. Bu durum, basit bir yapı için de böyledir, büyük bir yapı, köprü, viyadük, ülke ekonomisi için hayati önem taşıyan yapılar için de. En iyi çözümler her zaman biraz daha pahalıdır ancak kimse o biraz daha parayı vermek istemez. Hep bunları tartışır dururuz. Hiçbir şey değişmez.

Ünlü Van Kedisi

Van'da bir Pazar'dan

Sonra büyük bir deprem olur. Başka bir şehirde. Başkalarının acılarını ahlar vahlar ederek izler, türlü türlü yorumlar yapar onu bunu suçlarız. Fay nereden kırılmış? Peki ya Istanbul? Deprem olursa nereden ve nasıl olur? Denizden mi vurur yoksa karadan mı? Meşhur profesörlerimiz olur. Televizyonlarda açık oturumlar yapılır. Herkesin , özellikle de TV kanallarının derdi felaket üzerinden rating sağlamaktır. Bu arada, aralara hangi reklamları alsınlar acaba? Balık nereden kokmuştur? Bence balık başından değil hücrelerinden kanser olmuştur.

Yıllardır mühendisliğin her alanında çalışmış bir insan olarak ben bugün yalnızca sinirliyim. Yaşanan bu acılar karşısında acı veya hüzün değil öfke doluyum.Büyük büyük şaşalı projelere yatırım yapacaklarına üç beş aklı başında adam toplayıp halkın asgari düzeyde konut ihtiyacını güvenli bir şekilde nasıl karşılayacaklarını düşünsünler.  O kadar da zor değil pratik çözümler üretmek. 

Şimdi Van bu halde

Bizden cacık olmaz!  

Mircan 'ın Dünyası / Mircan's World: SANAT LOG RÖPORTAJI / INTERVIEW WITH SANATLOG

Mircan 'ın Dünyası / Mircan's World: SANAT LOG RÖPORTAJI / INTERVIEW WITH SANATLOG: SanatLog – Interview with Mircan Kaya 1 Nisan 2010 Yazan: admin Kategori: Dünya Müziği , Film Müzikleri , Manşet , Müzik...

SANAT LOG RÖPORTAJI / INTERVIEW WITH SANATLOG

SanatLog – Interview with Mircan Kaya

1 Nisan 2010 Yazan: admin  
Kategori: Dünya Müziği, Film Müzikleri, Manşet, Müzik, Müzik Albümleri, Mircan Kaya, Röportajlar, Röportajlarımız, Sanat, Türk Sanatçılar

2 Yorum

Mircan Kaya expresses her assessment of the media industry in today’s modern society and the people squeezed in the vise of modern realities by saying, “I believe that all of the media channels we are besieged with are trying to ram a system down our throats through broadcasts, advertising, etc., and I am very frustrated. I am against collective insanity. They are taking away the right of the individual to be himself. How can anyone develop an authentic personality under these conditions.” Mircan embellishes her music with philosophy, literature and, most importantly the practices of her own life. We interviewed the musician, Mircan Kaya, for SanatLog readers. Enjoy the story…

www.sanatlog.com

SanatLog: First of all, we want to thank you for accepting our request for an interview.

Mircan Kaya: I appreciate your interest.

SanatLog: Can you briefly tell SanatLog readers about yourself?

Mircan Kaya: My nickname during childhood was Çinka. It is a name in the Laz language. Actually, when this name, which means forest fairy or elf, is used for a human, or, at least, I can say that when it was used for me, it meant someone who was very quiet, calm and seldom spoke but was very determined and stubborn, someone who was actually quiet because they were always thinking about something, someone who was unpredictable and whose tongue dripped poison whenever crossed, was devilishly clever, etc.

I was born in a city surrounded by extraordinary natural beauty and grew up in a mountain village near this city. Anyone familiar with the city of Artvin knows what kind of natural beauty I speak of. I grew up with the fragrances of grass, trees, soil, flowers, animals and even rain, with the sounds of nature, the sound of silence and the sound of darkness that echoes in one’s ears. My suspense-filled journeys of discovery in the backyard of Armenian houses, and the narrow, mysterious streets of Artvin, which looked down from a hill on the Çoruh river and was crisscrossed with steep, narrow streets go back to the time when I could barely walk. We would pour into the streets during the April rains to get wet. Until I finished university in Istanbul, no one could deprive me of the pleasure I felt getting soaking wet walking in the rain. I would go down to the city center just to get wet.

SanatLog: We are curious about what defines you and your areas of interest.

Mircan Kaya: I have lived a colorful life filled with the adventures of exploring every road that leads to art because of my passion for extraordinary stories, journeys, books and art.

The thing that unjustly changed my life’s direction and the way I perceived life at an early age was the premature departure of people I loved. The only way I was able to overcome the pain and weight of the realization that no one else would ever love me the same way was through music, literature, painting, cinema, reading and working. I was in love with the sweet, irresistible light of knowledge which illuminated my spirit. Great writers, philosophers and artists were my soul mates. They were my gurus and they still are.

I have loved creating ever since I was a child. I am passionate about it. I mean about “doing” because I must do it myself. I began cooking when I was very young. I began shopping when I was very small too. I have sung songs for as long as I can remember. On my own, I learned the complex software that facilitates engineering calculations and I have used it for years. I wanted to take journeys and roads that no one else had the courage to travel. I have an incessant enthusiasm for life. This enthusiasm is the source of my inner strength or maybe my inner strength gives birth to this enthusiasm.

In general, I would say that I am about life itself. Of course, life includes death. I have been interested in philosophy, literature, psychology and psychoanalysis for many years. The room I had as a teenager was filled with books and flowers that I grew. My handwriting covered the walls and then there was my guitar. I loved to curl up on the fleece that was spread on the floor and take naps between my reading, music studies or lessons. One of my greatest needs was walking. Because of my passion for nature and my deeply committed personality, I always create an atmosphere that allows me to become one with nature wherever I live. Of the five elements, earth, wood and metal dominate my living space. Of course, I include the air with windows that look up at the sky. And flowers and plants…

Travelling is one of the things that feeds my spirit the most. Occasionally, we must get away from the place where we live. Otherwise, it does not take long for us to become prisoners of the lives we have created. Getting away for awhile and giving myself and my loved ones some space really recharges me. One should miss others and be missed. Then, I am filled with fresh, new ideas.

SanatLog: Your efforts to combine two tendencies in your music are remarkable. The local and authentic is combined with Western sounds and instruments. When did you first begin to practice this artistic vision?

Mircan Kaya: Actually, this is something I have pursued from the beginning – creating authentic music. Creating my own distinctive music that does not resemble anyone else’s and is born from my experiences. Even though I have been doing music for a long time, I had to wait before I could create the music in my head the way I wanted to. Back then, it was impossible for me to create that music. It would have been material for pop music and I would have constantly been chiding myself for it. In this regard, I am a difficult person. I settle accounts with myself. If something I do makes me uncomfortable as a human being, I immediately change course. I destroy it. Many of the compositions I put on my albums today are pieces that I recorded on cassettes in my twenties.

Starting at the age of thirteen, I read Sarte and Emile Zola; in my twenties I transformed the Shakespearean sonnets from their original English into songs and tried to compose symphonic pieces based on Edgar A. Poe’s stories. We had a group too but the members of the group and myself were not accomplished enough for the music we were trying to make.

Now, before every project, I write. Just like a playwright or an author, first I write down what the music is trying to explain. I share the story of the music with the musicians I work with. I take great pains to convey the emotions to them. Then, the reflections of these stories and emotions as they experience them are transformed into music.

SanatLog: Even though my previous question describes your music and how it has developed and changed over the years, on your first album Our Lullabies and your second album, Ashes, you were still very intimate with traditional melodies.

Mircan Kaya: Actually the traditional melodies on the Our Lullabies and Ashes albums were rendered outside of the traditional style people are accustomed to.

SanatLog: In this regard, could we say that your third album, Sala, was the beginning of the East-West synthesis I am referring to?

Mircan Kaya: That’s right. After Our Lullabies and Ashes I was convinced that I could actually do what I really wanted to do. I had proof now that I could present to the musicians that I wanted to work with. I had references. First, I began to write Sala and I sent stories and demo recordings to every musician. For example, I needed Uğur Işık on the cello. A cello that would represent death. Or, on the piece entitled Song, we were constantly talking to the musicians both prior to recording and during recording so that we could perform this piece that described the drama of a woman loved by two men with the cello representing the man who lost and the accordion representing the bridegroom who takes the bride, his joy and victory. This has been the biggest issue in my life – to be loved by more than one person at the same time and the fiery hell this created in my life. Like the other pieces, Song is the tale of another issue of mine that was internalized. The instrumental performance that resulted was highly acclaimed by FROOTS magazine.

SanatLog: “NUMINOSUM”, which in my opinion is a magnificent album, is like a vehicle for meditation that has been painstaking crafted with jazz undertones blended with the sound of rain…

Mircan Kaya: Thank you!

Every album that receives positive reviews gives me more courage to release the next one. That is how NUMINOSUM came about. It contains reflections of my journeys both spiritual and physical as well as numerous events where my life and my various journeys intersected.

I began working with Roger Mills on Sala. My music-related travels and searching led me, through Roger Mills, to the group Limbo. Roger played the trumpet in Limbo, which performed improvised jazz. When I went to Bristol for the mixing of Sala, he told me that Limbo was doing a rehearsal concert in Cardiff for a small audience. We left for Cardiff to watch this concert as soon as we got off the plane. I had never seen a group perform such beautiful improvised music. That day, I made up my mind to do music with Limbo. Because Roger Mills was so excited and approving about every thing I did, he organized everything required for this project.

This journey intersects with another to form the foundation for this album. I had recorded an improvised lament and lullaby with Uğur Işık (cello) for a music project sponsored by the Ministry of Culture for the soldiers who froze to death at Sarıkamış. This was why I was invited to the memorial ceremony. Muammer Ketencoğlu was also among those invited. Sarıkamış, the snow, that enchanting atmosphere, my ruminations on the concept of Numinosum from my ever-present guru, Gustav Jung, all combined to produce this album, which was like an inner birth. As I walked over the snow like I was in a drunk stupor, I was planning out the album in my head. I mentioned my project to Muammer. I wanted him to play again. He said, “Count me in on any project of yours.” (Muammer Ketencoğlu plays the accordion on the Numinosum piece).

Music brings musicians close together. Another musician that I have crossed paths with thanks to music is Osman Kent. Like me, he is an engineer who is constantly thinking about music. He is a British musician with Turkish roots and he established Songhonic Records with the studio he purchased from Roxy Music. I had him read the Mevlana poem on the piece entitled “wordless” on the Numinosum album. He did the mastering on that album as well. As a result, Numinosum developed as an international project that combined many incredible journeys, emotions and ideas. Numinosum was a personal investigation of love and how I perceived it. Can anyone talk about love without including Mevlana? I incorporated material from Mevlana. I was going to voice Sufi mysticism in a completely distinct way, at least in my view. I put the piece entitled Silence in Cxala right in the middle of the album as an allusion to the concept of Numinosum and therefore my past and the village I was born in as well as to John Cage’s concept of silence and the silence of that village.

SanatLog: Your last album “OUTIM” (Once Upon a Time in Mingrelia) is probably the most experimental and complex work you have created to date.

Mircan Kaya: That’s right. Actually, OUTIM, even attempting to do this album, to complete it, all of the events and travel that surrounded it, the challenges I undertook, the process of creating it, the whole thing was crazy. Until it is completed, every music project seems like a disease that I cannot be cured of. When it is over, I wake up. And I say, “If they were to say ‘Do it again’, I could not even come close.” If every living thing has a mission that gives them meaning, then maybe my mission was to do that album. The mission was to let the spirits of the heroes of the stories told on this album and the spirits of my ancestors know, in this crazy way, that the events that transpired in this land where the stories take place have not been in vain. I hailed the spirits of my ancestors. I declared that I was an extension of them on the earth, that I would never forget, and that I had and would always be proud of them. Now every night the spirits of my ancestors, my father, my grandfather, who was the village guard and turned every square inch of that mountain village’s soil into a fertile paradise, my grandmother Megrel, whom he loved passionately, my older brother and all my relatives meet in the house that I built while OUTIM was being produced and they say, “yamo”.

SanatLog: On this album we also see the name of Jim Barr, who is the lead guitar for Portishead and the jazz group Limbo from Bristol. How did you hook up or whose idea was it?

Mircan Kaya: I have described my relationship with Limbo and its connection to Numinosum and Roger Mills. I have also talked about my OUTIM project after Numinosum. As soon as I completed my preparations, I flew back to Bristol. Roger and all of the members of Limbo were working with Jim Barr. They were friends. That is how we got acquainted. One thing naturally led to another and laid the foundation for what was to come.

SanatLog: We also have a small book with this album, mostly things you wrote about your Black Sea journeys. Is that right?

Mircan Kaya: Yes, they are the stories that make me who I am.

SanatLog: You have even ventured into soundtracks for movies…

Mircan Kaya: Actually, because my music is cinematographic, it has drawn the attention of film directors. I suppose it inspires them. At least, that is what I have been told. I am always thinking about ambience in music so this is what has come out of that. This is also something I like very much. I have always loved cinema. It is delightful to adapt music to a story and to images. Sometimes, I don’t even have to do anything. For example, one director told me that he had based his film totally in the piece entitled “Tonight I Long for Rest” from the Numinosum album and that he had the actors listen to this piece throughout the shooting. He had already shot and finished the film. All I had to do was watch the film, make my suggestions and determine where the music would begin and end. However, I had to start from scratch with the soundtrack for the film Snow White (Kar Beyaz), which was adapted from the story “Ayran” by Sabahattin Ali and has just finished shooting.

SanatLog: What is your assessment of the issue of polyphony in Turkish and world music?

Mircan Kaya: My personal opinion is that a simple piece with one instrument can be beautiful and so can a work with many voices. Regardless of where it is made or how, for me, the important thing in music is feeling. The world’s most accomplished virtuoso can play the most advanced technique on an instrument and sing but if it lacks feeling, it means nothing to me. This is something I cannot bear. I use both in my own music. In other words, single and multiple voices. In fact, I do it on purpose because I feel a need for this to create space. Space is important in every area of life. Constantly being full is inhuman. It is not good for people. It is very important to convey space, breath and feeling in music just as they are. I do not like ostentatious or glorious things. All of the works of western musicians and classic composers about death are, in my opinion, excessively glorious. But, death cannot be all that glorious. At the very least, it is painful to those left behind. All of the requiems are literally trying to depict hell. In my opinion, though, death is eternal rest and peace. I do not like musical works that reek of power. I guess I like melancholy in music, like I do in every other part of life. If there is no melancholic feeling in a work or a person, it seems incomplete. As you see, I am always talking about feelings. For the last year, I have been studying western music from the 16^th century to the present. It was part of the musical education I received from England. This type of music based on rules and a certain system has, in my opinion, become an emotionless sound in many compositions. I have been nourished by classical music since I was seventeen but what I love and appreciate is creating a universal and authentic sound beginning with something local. What I like more is listening to root music. What I like most is silence. I close my mind to other music when I am working on an album. I do not listen to anything else. I also think that the most advanced stage in music is improvisation. This requires a unique kind of unity among the musicians. Groups of musicians who share not only music but many other things in life do improvised music very well.

SanatLog: Is it true that everyone like music? 

Mircan Kaya: What people like is a completely relative matter that varies from person to person. It is difficult for everyone to like a piece of music but it is a huge accomplishment to produce something that everyone can appreciate without compromising on quality.

Just as everyone does not read profound books, and could not understand them if they did anyway, everyone cannot perceive a painting, a film or music in the same way. For example, I have been significantly affected by literature and philosophy so, of course, I look for philosophy in music. I love painting so I care about what the album jacket design looks like. Because I love books, I care about what is written in the jacket. And because I love all of these, I never download music from the internet. I always want to own the original CD and I do not buy pirated CDs.

SanatLog: Is there anything you would like to say in this regard about today’s understanding of music?

Mircan Kaya: I believe that all of the media channels that we are generally besieged with are trying to ram a system down our throats through broadcasts, advertising, etc., and I am very frustrated. I am against collective insanity. They are taking away the right of the individual to be himself. How can anyone develop an authentic personality under these conditions? I almost never watch television except for good movies and world news on BBC World. In my opinion, the plurality of voices that the world needs is now provided by the internet. This is incredible freedom for us. It may have negative and harmful aspects but this varies depending on what the person is interested in. It is an incredible vehicle for communication, for access to and sharing of information. We can record a piece here and collaborate with another musician in Australia by sending the recording over the internet. Towards the end of the summer, we are going to do an improvised recording with musicians from different parts of the world synchronized on the internet. This is a Roger Mills project.

I have created the environment my own children need to create their own original personalities and opened up alternative channels so that they have developed as original individuals. I have not subjected my children to anything that the system imposes. For example, they did not take the OKS exams.

The video clips that I see occasionally or the songs broadcast on music channels that I happen to hear (you come into contact with them even at the beauty salon) all show me that the most important and dominant criteria is sex. How you should sing a song, what you will talk about, how to shoot a clip and how sexy this clip has to be, etc… All of this is being rammed down our throats. It makes you feel strange almost beaten down. The upcoming generation is being numbed with all of this. They say you should be having sex here and now. You still do not have a boyfriend? O, now that is a shame.

No matter what city I visit around the globe, I see the same thing. It is almost as if a gigantic screen that can be seen from around the world has been set up and there is a global broadcast to the people of the world. It is always the same people, the same songs and the same voices.

But, of course, there are good things to and that is what we are after.

SanatLog: Are you busy with any projects at the moment?

Mircan Kaya: I have just finished the recordings for a new album based on Gülten Akın’s poems. She is a poet I love dearly. One of the pieces is something I wrote in my twenties and have been playing and singing ever since. The others I created and recorded during my advanced Masters degree studies on historic buildings that I did between 2008-2009, rotating between Padova University in Italy and Catalonia Technical Univesity in Barcelona or with songs that came to me in Istanbul. Some of Turkey’s best virtuosos are included on the album. In addition to experienced professionals like Göksel Baktagir on kanun, Yurdal Tokcan on the oud, Baki Kemancı on the violin, İzzet Kızıl and İsmet Kızıl on percussion, there is also young talent (Cenk Erdoğan and Aydın Can Kutluay on guitar, Ceyda Pirali on the piano and many other young musicians). The album recordings will go to Roger Mills. Roger will not only play the trumpet but will handle mixing and the final versions. Then, mastering will once again be performed overseas. I am hopeful that by the beginning of summer all of the work will be completed and the album will be released. The album will certainly be released in 2010. I used a poem from Metin Eloğlu in one piece on this album. It has, once again, proven to be a tiring and grueling process. What came out of this process, which involved struggles with life and its accompaniments, was an album that is completely Turkish and describes the lace curtain on faded wooden frames blowing in the wind, lights with double covers on balconies, an Istanbul whose bleeding lovers watch the road with longing, a suffering Istanbul, youth groaning on the sidewalks, faces, the impassable stern expression we bear and the red pandora fish that has never been tasted. The voices are our own but from an outside perspective.

SanatLog: Thank you for this delightful interview and your magnificent music.

Mircan Kaya: And, I thank you for the interest you have taken in my work. Two days ago, on the listener supported program Open Radio, a lady had bought my Sala album. She talked about me and played the piece entitled “Song”. I said, “These beautiful people, people whose hearts I have reached and touched, these are enough for me.” You must be one of those people too.

Interview conducted by: Hakan Bilge

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“Song” – Mircan Kaya from gajdo on Vimeo.

Tags: art, Ashes, authentic music, Gülten Akın, Hakan Bilge, Interviews, jazz music, Jim Barr, Kar Beyaz, Limbo, Metin Eloğlu, Mircan Kaya, music, music albums, music styles, NUMINOSUM, Once Upon a Time in Mingrelia, Osman Kent, Our Lullabies, OUTIM, Portishead, Roger Mills, Sala, Sanat, SanatLog, traditional music, Turkish Artists, turkish folk music, turkish music, Uğur Işık, worl music, www.sanatlog.com

DIVERTIMENTO : Ateşli mi, acıklı mı?

Amore Bolognese / Bolonya Usulü Aşk

İlk kavgalarının neyle ilgili olduğunu anlayamadık. Kızım için bu minik daireyi kiralayalı henüz bir ay bile olmadı. Bir akşam dışardan dönüşümüzde dairelerinin açık kapısından içeriyi gördüm istemeden. Yarı çıplak oturuyorlardı küçük bir masada karşılıklı. Hava çok sıcaktı ve biraz essin diye kapıyı açık bırakmış olmalıydılar. Mutfakta duran ütü masası dikkatimi seçti. Daire o kadar küçük ki dış kapıdan şöyle bir bakış attığınızda evin tamamı görülebiliyor. Kırklı yaşlarında bir çift. Adamın yüzünü hiç görmedim ya kadınla aynı yaşlarda olduğunu varsayıyorum. Aynı gün, aynı zaman dilimi içinde ikinci karşılaşmamızda ise kadın özür dieyerek kapıyı kapattı. Saçları omuzlarında kızıl kumral bir kadın. Aynı günün gece yarısı, yan taraftan kadının giderek yükselen sesini duyduk. Kızgındı. Bir şeye kızgındı. Çok kızgındı. Bağırıp çağırıyordu. Hiç susmadan ve giderek daha çok sesini yükselterek bağırıyordu. Adamın sesi hiç çıkmıyordu ve onun sessizliği sanki kadının daha çok sinirlerini bozuyordu veya kendini daha da haklı görüp daha beter bağırıyordu. Saatlerce böyle bağırdı. Bir ara kapı açılma sesi duyduk. Dış kapı sesi. Adamın çıkıp gitmiş olabileceğini düşündük. Kadınının sesi apartman boşluğunda yankılanıyordu. “Dove vai! Dove vai! (Nereye gidiyorsun’ Nereye gidiyorsun!” haykırışları “Vai! Vai! (Git ! Git!) “ lere dönüştü. Bir ara adamın cılız sesini duyar gibi olduk. Birkaç saat sonra adam geri geldi. Bu aradaki sessizliği uyuyabilmek için kullandık.  Adamı içeri aldı. Daha sessiz konuşmalar duyduk. Bağırmaları kesilmişti. Sabah ise, hiçbir şey olmamış gibi normal perdeden konuşmalar duyduk.

Setenay’la konuşmak, analiz etmek için malzeme bulmuştuk. Diyordu ki: “Insan o kadar bağırıp çağırdığı insanın yüzüne sonra nasıl bakabilir?” Biz bu kavgaya şöyle anlamlar, ihtimaller yükledik:

- Büyük olasılıkla, bu tür hareretli tartışmaların ardından sevişiyorlardı. 

-Adamın hiç sesi çıkmadığına göre kadının nevrotik tavırlarından ya hoşlanıyordu ya da   kadını seviyordu ve deliliğine tahammül ediyordu

-Kadını aldatıyordu ve suçluydu ve söyleyecek bir şeyi yoktu ve sessiz kalıyordu.

-Kadın isterikti ve adam bunu biliyordu ve bu krizin geçmesini bekliyordu sonunu bildiği için.

-Kadın belki de telefonda başka birine bağırıyordu (zayıf ihtimal)

-Kadının beyninde tümör filan vardı ve ağzından çıkanları kontrol edemiyordu.

Dün gece komşularımızdan gelen bağırışmalar, inlemeler, ulumalar bu kadar pervasızca, apartmanı ayağa kaldıracak kadar yüksek perdeden kavga eden bu çiftin sevişmelerinin de kavgalarından bir farkı olmadığını ortaya çıkardı. Önce kadının onulmaz bir hastalık nedeniyle çektiği acıdan bağırdığını sandım.  Acıdan insanı kıvrandıran inleten son kertelerine ulaşmış, onulmaz bir hastalık. Bir süre sonra bu inlemelere adamın sesi de karışmaya başladı. İkisi birlikte uluyup inliyorlardı. Ve....... Crescendo!

Böylece ilk kavganın yapısı hakkında biraz fikir edinmiş oldum.

Sabah kahvaltı sırasında kızıma sordum: “ Dün gece yan taraftan gelen sesleri duydun mu?” Yüzümdeki muzır gülümsemeye bakıp duymadığını söyleyince sevindim. İlk kavganın yapısına ışık tutacak kadar bilgi verdim. 

Kişisel olarak yorumum şudur:  Ne önceki ne sonraki bağırış çağırışlarda bir müzikalite vardı. Kadının ses tonu her iki seansta da berbattı. Adamın sesini zaten pek duyamamıştık ancak ikinci seferde çıkardığı ses tonu berbattı.  

Takip eden gecelerden birinde kadın yalvarırcasına konuşuyordu. Kızım kulak kabartmış bu kez : "beni yalnız bırakma" diyerek yalvarıyormuş. 

Bir kaç gün sonra kira kontratımızın kopyasını almak için emlakçıya gittiğimizde evle ilgili her şeyin yolunda olup olmadığını sordu. Tutto bene? Biz de komşularımızı biraz anlatmaya çalıştık. Bu tür öyküler insanlarda bir heyecan yaratır ya, gözleri faltaşı gibi açıldı. En sonunda da "divertimento ha?" diyerek güldü. Evet, DIVERTIMENTO. En azından bu sözcük müzikal bir terim. Divertimento, vivace, vs.vs. Italyanlara ve onların yaşam biçimine en çok uyan sözcükler sanki.  Ama en ateşlisi    bile acıklı değil mi? Bir kadın neden sabaha karşı, gün ağarmadan "gitme, beni yalnız bırakma" diye sevgilisine yalvarır?

  

Benim yazarlarım: José Saramago

19 Eylül 2011 

Bolonya'dayım. Gündüzlerimi kızım Setenay'la geçiriyorum. Akşam yemeğinden sonra bir heyacan sarıyor ikimizi de. Çünkü, her gece güzel bir film izliyoruz. Genellikle ödüllü filmleri seçiyoruz. Bu biraz kolaya kaçmak olsa da " hımmm bu film bu kadar ödülü niye almış bir bakalım" diye bir merak sarıyor içimizi.  Dün gece"In a Better World" , bu gece " There Will be Blood".  Her geceye bir film seçtik. Eminim kızım da ben de Bolonya'da birlikte geçirdiğimiz bu günleri hiç unutmayacağız. Birlikte yürümek, birlikte kahvaltı yapmak, alış veriş yapmak, sokaklarda kaybolmak, birlikte yorulmak, hayattan, şundan bundan söz etmek, film izlemek, sonra izlediğimiz filmin üzerine konuşmak....Tek derdim oğlumu, Oğuz'u özlemek. Biri orada biri burada ama yakında kavuşacağız. Film bittikten sonra biraz okuyorum. Elimin altındaki kitap: José Saramago'nun  "The Notebook"  adlı kitabı. Türkçe'ye çevirisi var mı bakmadım ancak varsa "Not Defteri" olarak çevrilmiş olmalı. Umbero Eco'nun önsözüyle başlıyor  kitap. " An odd character, this Saramago ( tuhaf bir karakter  bu Saramago)" diye yazmış önsözünde. Nobel ödülü aldıktan sonra 85 yaşında bir internet blogu açıp orada yazılar yazmasına şaşmış gibi . "The Notebook" zaten bu blogda yazdıklarını içeren kitap. "Blindness" adlı filmi izledikten sonra seri okumak üzere kitaplarını almaya başladım. En çok sevdiklerim arasında şimdi.  J.M Coetzee 'nin yanına koydum. Nobelprize.org sitesinden aldığım otobiyografisini sayfamda İngilizce olarak paylaşıyorum.  Saramago, 87 yaşında aramızdan ayrıldı. Blogunda yazılar paylaşamıyor artık. Ancak, bıraktığı miras bizlere, çocuklarımıza, torunlarımıza fazla fazla yetecek. Biz aktaracağız. Onu bu kadar çok sevmemin ardında biyografilerimizdeki ortak noktalar mı acaba? Köy kökenlilik, kimliğe yanlış işlenmiş doğum günü ve ad , teknik eğitim vs. vs. Diyor ki, "Ben yalnızca yazmıyorum. Ben neysem onu yazıyorum. Eğer ortada bir sır varsa belki budur" . Başka önemli bir yazar da "ben kendimin öyküsüyüm" diyordu. Ben de diyorum ki, ben kendimi söylüyorum ve kendimin öyküsüyüm ve ben "guru"larımı çok seviyorum. Onlar olmasa güçsüz kalırdım. Kolsuz kanatsız kalırdım. Onlar bana güç veriyor, kendimi onaylamama yarıyor. Her daim, algılarımızı bozan bu dünyada aslında neyin gerçekte önemli, değerli ve anlamlı olduğunu hatırlatmak üzere ihtiyaç duyduğum sarsma etkisini yaratıyor.  Tuhaf belki, kendime müzik yolculuğumda hiç bir müzisyeni model almadım ama  izlediğim  edebiyaçıları, filozofları, şairleri sayabilirim. Onlar bana kendim olmayı öğrettiler.

" I think we are blind. Blind people who can see, but do not see / Sanıyorum bizler körüz. Görebilen ancak görmeyen körler " 

José Saramago

Autobiography

Written over the author's signature and translated into English by Fernando Rodrigues and Tim Crosfield

I was born in a family of landless peasants, in Azinhaga, a small village in the province of Ribatejo, on the right bank of the Almonda River, around a hundred kilometres north-east of Lisbon. My parents were José de Sousa and Maria da Piedade. José de Sousa would have been my own name had not the Registrar, on his own inititiave added the nickname by which my father's family was known in the village: Saramago. I should add that saramago is a wild herbaceous plant, whose leaves in those times served at need as nourishment for the poor. Not until the age of seven, when I had to present an identification document at primary school, was it realised that my full name was José de Sousa Saramago...

This was not, however, the only identity problem to which I was fated at birth. Though I had come into the world on 16 November 1922, my official documents show that I was born two days later, on the 18th. It was thanks to this petty fraud that my family escaped from paying the fine for not having registered my birth at the proper legal time.

Maybe because he had served in World War I, in France as an artillery soldier, and had known other surroundings from those of the village, my father decided in 1924 to leave farm work and move with his family to Lisbon, where he started as a policeman, for which job were required no more "literary qualifications" (a common expression then...) than reading, writing and arithmetic.

A few months after settling in the capital my brother Francisco two years older, died. Though our living conditions had improved a little after moving, we were never going to be well off.

I was already 13 or 14 when we moved, at last, to our own - but very tiny - house: till then we had lived in parts of houses, with other families. During all this time, and until I came of age I spent many, and very often quite long, periods in the village with my mother's parents Jerónimo Meirinho and Josefa Caixinha.

I was a good pupil at primary school: in the second class I was writing with no spelling mistakes and the third and fourth classes were done in a single year. Then I was moved up to the grammar school where I stayed two years, with excellent marks in the first year, not so good in the second, but was well liked by classmates and teachers, even being elected (I was then 12...) treasurer of the Students' Union... Meanwhile my parents reached the conclusion that, in the absence of resources, they could not go on keeping me in the grammar school. The only alternative was to go to a technical school. And so it was: for five years I learned to be a mechanic. But surprisingly the syllabus at that time, though obviously technically oriented, included, besides French, a literature subject. As I had no books at home (my own books, bought by myself, however with money borrowed from a friend, I would only have when I was 19) the Portuguese language textbooks, with their "anthological" character, were what opened to me the doors of literary fruition: even today I can recite poetry learnt in that distant era. After finishing the course, I worked for two years as a mechanic at a car repair shop. By that time I had already started to frequent, in its evening opening hours, a public library in Lisbon. And it was there, with no help or guidance except curiosity and the will to learn, that my taste for reading developed and was refined.

When I got married in 1944, I had already changed jobs. I was now working in the Social Welfare Service as an administrative civil servant. My wife, Ilda Reis, then a typist with the Railway Company, was to become, many years later, one of the most important Portuguese engravers. She died in 1998. In 1947, the year of the birth of my only child, Violante, I published my first book, a novel I myself entitled The Widow, but which for editorial reasons appeared as The Land of Sin. I wrote another novel, The Skylight, still unpublished, and started another one, but did not get past the first few pages: its title was to be Honey and Gall, or maybe Louis, son of Tadeus... The matter was settled when I abandoned the project: it was becoming quite clear to me that I had nothing worthwhile to say. For 19 years, till 1966, when I got to publish Possible Poems, I was absent from the Portuguese literary scene, where few people can have noticed my absence.

For political reasons I became unemployed in 1949, but thanks to the goodwill of a former teacher at the technical school, I managed to find work at the metal company where he was a manager.

At the end of the 1950s I started working at a publishing company, Estúdios Cor, as production manager, so returning, but not as an author, to the world of letters I had left some years before. This new activity allowed me acquaintance and friendship with some of the most important Portuguese writers of the time. In 1955, to improve the family budget, but also because I enjoyed it, I started to spend part of my free time in translation, an activity that would continue till 1981: Colette, Pär Lagerkvist, Jean Cassou, Maupassant, André Bonnard, Tolstoi, Baudelaire, Étienne Balibar, Nikos Poulantzas, Henri Focillon, Jacques Roumain, Hegel, Raymond Bayer were some of the authors I translated. Between May 1967 and November 1968, I had another parallel occupation as a literary critic. Meanwhile, in 1966, I had published Possible Poems, a poetry book that marked my return to literature. After that, in 1970, another book of poems, Probably Joy and shortly after, in 1971 and 1973 respectively, under the titles From this World and the Other and The Traveller's Baggage, two collections of newspaper articles which the critics consider essential to the full understanding of my later work. After my divorce in 1970, I initiated a relationship, which would last till 1986, with the Portuguese writer Isabel da Nóbrega.

After leaving the publisher at the end of 1971, I worked for the following two years at the evening newspaper Diário de Lisboa, as manager of a cultural supplement and as an editor.

Published in 1974 with the title The Opinions the DL Had, those texts represent a very precise "reading" of the last time of the dictatorship, which was to be toppled that April. In April 1975, I became deputy director of the morning paper Diário de Nóticias, a post I filled till that November and from which I was sacked in the aftermath of the changes provoked by the politico-military coup of the 25th November which blocked the revolutionary process. Two books mark this era: The Year of 1993, a long poem published in 1975, which some critics consider a herald of the works that two years later would start to appear with Manual of Painting and Calligraphy, a novel, and, under the title of Notes, the political articles I had published in the newspaper of which I had been a director.

Unemployed again and bearing in mind the political situation we were undergoing, without the faintest possibility of finding a job, I decided to devote myself to literature: it was about time to find out what I was worth as a writer. At the beginning of 1976, I settled for some weeks in Lavre, a country village in Alentejo Province. It was that period of study, observation and note-taking that led, in 1980, to the novel Risen from the Ground, where the way of narrating which characterises my novels was born. Meanwhile, in 1978 I had published a collection of short stories, Quasi Object; in 1979 the play The Night, and after that, a few months before Risen from the Ground, a new play, What shall I do with this Book? With the exception of another play, entitled The Second Life of Francis of Assisi, published in 1987, the 1980s were entirely dedicated to the Novel: Baltazar and Blimunda, 1982, The Year of the Death of Ricardo Reis, 1984, The Stone Raft, 1986, The History of the Siege of Lisbon, 1989. In 1986, I met the Spanish journalist Pilar del Río. We got married in 1988.

In consequence of the Portuguese government censorship of The Gospel According to Jesus Christ (1991), vetoing its presentation for the European Literary Prize under the pretext that the book was offensive to Catholics, my wife and I transferred our residence to the island of Lanzarote in the Canaries. At the beginning of that year I published the play In Nomine Dei, which had been written in Lisbon, from which the libretto for the opera Divara would be taken, with music by the Italian composer Azio Corghi and staged for the first time in Münster, Germany in 1993. This was not the first cooperation with Corghi: his also is the music to the opera Blimunda, from my novel Baltazar and Blimunda, staged in Milan, Italy in 1990. In 1993, I started writing a diary, Cadernos de Lanzarote (Lanzarote Diaries), with five volumes so far. In 1995, I published the novel Blindness and in 1997 All the Names. In 1995, I was awarded the Camões Prize and in 1998 the Nobel Prize for Literature.

From Les Prix Nobel. The Nobel Prizes 1998, Editor Tore Frängsmyr, [Nobel Foundation], Stockholm, 1999

This autobiography/biography was written at the time of the award and later published in the book series Les Prix Nobel/Nobel Lectures. The information is sometimes updated with an addendum submitted by the Laureate.

Siz İtalyanlaştırdıklarımızdan mısınız?

Beati quorum tecta sunt peccata 
Blessed are they whose sins are covered over!"
Günahları örtülmüş  olanlar kutsanmıştır.
Dante


Sızma yağ gezdirilmiş ızgara sebze, parmesan, mozarella, kırmızı şarap ve dondurma; tarih, tarihi eserler, taş, taş duvarlar " se avete un cervello, usare i piedi / aklı olan ayaklarını kullanır" misali ayaklarımın altından kayan yollar, tren yolculukları, pazarlar, içlerinde saatlerce kendimi kaybedebileceğim kitapçılar, kahve kokusu, kahve...

Seviyorum işte bu memleketi ve insanlarını. Bolonya tren istasyonunda kızımla tren bekliyoruz. Bekleme salonunda, Ağustos 1980 tarihinde yaşanan terör nedeniyle yaşamlarını kaybetmiş ve çoğu genç olan insanlar anısına hazırlanmış mermer duvardaki isimleri okudukça yüreğim cız ediyor, kızım isimleri okuyor, benim içim cız ediyor, yakınlarımı kaybetmişim gibi. Soydaları aynı olan, aile oldukları anlaşılan üç kişinin genç anne-baba ve çocukları olduğunu anlıyoruz.

Ekmeğimi bu ülke ile yaptığım işten kazanıyorum ve bana sunduğu imkanlar , hayatıma kattığı onca renk anlatmakla bitmez.

Bir de şu dili akıcı konuştum mu tamamdır işim. O zaman bana sorabilirsiniz: "Siz İtalyanlaştırdıklarımızdan mısınız yoksa İtalyanlaştıramadıklarımızdan mısınız?"

Güzel olan, mobil olabilmek, hareket özgürlüğüne sahip olabilmek. Elbette ilk stajını Ürdün'de, Filistin'li kılavuzlar eşliğinde yapmış ve her gittiği yerde mutlaka bir güzellik ve giz bulan bir insan olarak biliyorum ki her ülkenin hem güzellikleri hem de çirkinlikleri var ancak  ben bu ülkenin hep güzelliklerini yaşadım. Hep öyle denk düştü diyelim ama kendime sormadan edemiyorum. Madem ki ben burada hep güzeli yaşıyorum, buluyorum, kendimi alabildiğine özgür, umut ve enerji dolu hissediyorum ve bunları hep bu ülkede buluyorum, bunda bir hikmet yok mu?
Ve diyorum ki, her şey kötü, çok kötü gitse ne olabilir? Şu güzelim meydanlardan birinde, bir köşede, alır gitarımı elime şarkılar söylerim.  Şapkamın boş kalmayacağından eminim.

Carpe Diem!!!

http://www.emiliaromagnaturismo.it/en/art-cities/roman-rimini.html
 

KAR BEYAZ FİLMİNİN MÜZİKLİ ÖYKÜSÜ

Yönetmen Selim Güneş’in ilk filmi Kar Beyaz bir ilk film olmasına rağmen ödüller alarak sinema tarihinde kendine bir yer açmayı başardı.

47ci Antalya Altın Portakal Film Festivali’nde ulusal uzun  metrajlı filmler arasında en iyi film müziği ödülünü aldıktan hemen sonra Chicago Film Festivali’nde dünya sineması kategorisinde, Amerika’lı izleyicilerin yüreklerini ısıttı ve övgüler alarak döndü.

Geçtiğimiz günlerde, 15ci Sofya Film Festivali’nde jüri özel ödülüne layık görüldü.

Ankara ve İstanbul film festivallerinde ise yarışmalı böümlerde gösterilecek.

Önümüzdeki günlerde hem Ankara Film Festivali hem de İstanbul Film Festivali’nde gösterilecek olması ve 13 Mayıs 2011 tarihinde vizyona girecek olması nedeniyle,

“zamanıdır “ diye düşündüm. Altın Portakal’da en iyi film müziği ödülünün ardından, birlikte çalıştığım *viyolonselcinin bir **köşe yazarı üzerinden başlattığı iddialarla gölge düşürdüğü Kar Beyaz filminin müziğinin öyküsünü anlatmanın zamanıdır.

Evrensel Gazetesi ve Yeni Harman gazeteleri dışındaki ana gazetelerin sessiz kaldığı, nedense yorum yapmak istemediği konu ile ilgili internet ortamındaki sosyal paylaşım ortamlarında çok tartışma yapıldı ama ben şimdi, müziğin öyküsünü bir kez daha yazmak ve paylaşmak istiyorum.

2008, kış aylarından biri. Padova’daki dairemde, oturduğum çalışma masamdan dışarıyı görüyorum. Kar yağıyor. Tarihi eserlerin yapısal analizleri konulu ileri master çalışması için burslu geldiğim üniveristede dersler ve ödevler çok ağır. Hemen her gün, gece yarısından sonra ikiye üçe kadar çalışmam gerekiyor. Hem üzerimde, seçilmiş ve bursa layık görülmüş mühendis olmanın sorumluluğu var hem de bir taraftan İngiltere’den online yürüttüğüm müzik eğitiminin terminleri kesin olan ağır ödevleri ve düzenli olarak yürütülmesi gereken çalışmaları var. Padova Üniversitesi İnşaat fakültesindeki sınıf arkadaşlarıma, bu ağır programa rağmen şanslı olduklarını söylüyorum. Hepsi benim bir de müzik ödevleriyle boğuştuğumu, iki eğitimi eş zamanlı yürütmem gerektiğini biliyorlar. Bunlara rağmen, en azından İstanbul’daki hayatımın sorumluluklarını bir süreliğine devretmiş olduğum için, ve buradaki mutlak yalnızlığım bana zamanımı azami ölçüde etkili kullanabilme olanağı sağladığı ve gitarımı da yanımda getirmiş olduğum için küçük boşluklar yaratıp bu boşlukları Tao egzersizleri, nehir boyunca ve tarihi sokaklarda yürüyüşler ve gitarımla bir şeyler tıngırdatıp yeni şarkılar yapmak, kitap okumak gibi benim için olmazsa olmaz şeylerle dolduruyorum. İşte, bu dönemde, Kar Beyaz filminin yönetmeni Selim Güneş’ten bir e-mail alıyorum.

“Bu Mircan o Mircan mı?”

Selim Güneş’in bu yazısı beni taa onüç yaşıma götürüyor. Nedeninin bilmiyoruma ama Annem ve babam beni onbeş günlüğüne Güneş ailesinin Maçka’daki evlerine bırakmışlar. Orada kalmam gerekiyor. Ağebeyimi yeni kaybetmişim. Kabuslarla dolu bir dönem. Cıvıl cıvıl bir aile Güneş ailesi. Kalabalık. Bir sürü çocuk var. Sıcak, sevecen bir anne ve baba. Bu sıcaklığı bana da geçiriyorlar. Çocukların yanı sıra, eve gelip giden yeğenler de var. Bu yeğenlerden biri Selim Güneş.

“Bu Mircan o Mircan”

İşte böyle başlıyor Kar Beyaz’ın müzik serüveni. Selim Güneş bütün albümlerimi almış dinlemiş ve çekmeyi planladığı ilk filminde OUTIM albümünden Mircanishi Nanni (Mircan’ın Ninnisi) ni mutlaka kullanmak istediğini, Kül albümümden de Evlerinin Önü Yoldur ve Fincanın Etrafı türkülerini istediğini, filmin müziğinde benimle çalışmak istediğini vs.vs  söylüyor. Senaryoyu gönderiyor. O’na yaptığım müziğin soundunun maliyetinin yüksek olduğunu en baştan söylüyorum. Yeni baştan böyle bir müzik çıkarmamı istiyorsa bunun pahalıya mal olacağını ancak mevcut parçalarımı kullanırsak, maliyetin düşeceğini vs. vs gibi işin bütün teknik ve mali yönlerini yazışarak görüşüyoruz.

“Şavşat”

2009 Ağustos ayı. TRT bir belgesel çekiyor. On iki müzisyen belirlenmiş. Biri de benim. Bu yüzden Doğu Karadeniz’de, doğduğum köye de geliyorlar. Selim Güneş’te , filmin çekileceği yerleri tebit etmek için gelmiş. Çekimler bittikten sonra Selim Güneş, birkaç kişiyle köydeki dağ evime geliyor. Filmden bahsediyoruz. Ertesi gün, çocukluğumun Güneş ailesi ile bir minibüse doluşarak Şavşat’a yer görmeye gidiyoruz.  Hem çekimlere, hem müzik projelerimin çoğuna tanıklık etmiş ve OUTIM albümüme haikularıyla katkıda bulunmuş olan yazar Pelin Özer de yanımızda.  Bu arada, dağdaki evimde, Amerika’dan gelmiş olan yeğenim Aydın Can Kutluay , gelirken yanında getirdiği protools kayıt cihazı ile Kar Beyaz’ın parçalarından birini kaydediyor. Doğaçtan söylediğim bu parçada şair Gülten Akın’ın “İlahiler” adlı kitabından “Bunalan Ozan İlahisi” adlı şiirini kullanıyorum.

“İstanbul”

Bir yandan Elixir albümümün kayıtları devam ediyor. Mühendislik projeleri devam ediyor.

İngiltere’ye müzik eğitimimin final sınavı için gidiyorum.

“Guilford- Wutton House”

Londra’dan önce otobüs, sonra tren, sonra taksi ile eski bir malikaneye geliyorum. Olağanüstü sakin ve dingin bir yer. Sınava gireceğim. Nota kitaplarım, ders notlarım, her şey yol arkdaşım- kahverengi deri el bavulumda.  Stresliyim. Çok şey var çalışmam gereken. Biraz bahçede, İngiliz bahçeye bakarak, biraz içerde, ama her fırsatta çelışıyorum. Defterler dolusu yazmışım. Eksik olduğum, tamamlayamadığım konular var. ( 5-3 chord built from triad, root position, 6-4-3 chord  built from triad with 7th , second inversion). Defterime yazmışım. Çalışma programı: Sabah- Score reduction; öğleden sonra- Style studies, Purcel& Dido and Aenas, key sechemes; Akşam & gece: Baroque-Romantic-Classic periods.

Defterimden bir çalışma sayfası: Mozart Divertimento K563, first movement 9-17, reduction from three to two.

Guilford’da hava soğuk. Deri pardesümün yakasını iyice kaldırmış yürüyorum. Sokakları keşfediyorum. Şirin bir aralığa giriyorum. Sıcak bir kabak çorbası içip Guilford kilisesinin yolunu tutuyorum. Kilise soğuk. Çok soğuk. Ellerimizi oğuşturuyoruz. Kimlikler, pasaportlar soruluyor. Sıralarımızın üzerine koyuyoruz. Sınav için açıklamalar yapılıyor. Sonra sınav.

Sorular, sorular.... Cevaplayamadıklarım var. Veya yanlış cevapladığımdan emin olduklarım var. Schubert analizini doğaçlama yapıyorum. Doğru düzgün o kısmı çalışamamıştım. 

Sonuç: Geçer not ama ben daha iyi yapamadığım için kendimden utanıyorum.

Yatılı okula da gidemediğim için diploma alamayacağım. Yeniden alırım diyorum. Müzik çalışmaya bayılıyorum.

“İstanbul”

Kar Beyaz’ın ilk çekimleri, taslak kurgusu geliyor. Selim Güneş ve eşi Nur Güneş ile defalarca çekimleri izliyoruz. Kurgu üzerinde fikir alış verişi yapıyoruz. Yavaş yavaş, her kurgudan sonra, müzikleri yerleştiriyorum. Bu çalışmaları Ağusto Film’in Koşuyolu’ndaki binasında yapıyorum.

İzledikçe, sahneleri bağlayacak ek müzğe ihtiyaç olduğunu düşünüyorum ve kendi müziğimin hüznüne en çok yakıştırdığım çello ile müzik düşünüyorum. Ah keşke Roger Sydney’e taşınmasaydı. Kalkar giderdim Bristol’e. Güzel güzel kaydederdik. Sala albümümde de birlkte çalıştığım Uğur Işık’ı arıyorum. Filmden bahsediyorum. “Güzel bir proje” diyorum.

Film yönetmenleri benim müziğimi çok seviyorlar ama ben özellikle film müziği yapmıyorum. Ara müzikleri birlikte yapalım diye öneriyorum. "Sen olduğun için kabul ederim", diyor. Taslak kurguyu Uğur Işık ve eşi ile izliyoruz. Film hakkında içimi karartan şeyler söylüyor. Ana akım filmlerden hoşlandığını anlıyorum. Müzik bütçesini çok az buluyor.  İsminin yazılmasını istiyor. Elbette, diyorum. Bunun önemi yok. Önemli olan bu filme uygun en iyi müziği yapmamız diyorum. Müzik bütçesini artırmamı sistiyor. Yapımcıya bunu sormam gerektiğini söylüyorum. Yüzümü kızartıp, ek bütçe talebinde bulunuyorum. Kabul ediliyor. Zaman dar. Bu arada Uğur bana kaydedip te kullanmadığı kayıtlarını dinletiyor. Bu kayıtları beğeniyorum. Yeni baştan çalmana gerek yok diyerek tek tek kayıtları dinleyip seçiyorum. Tek tek her birinin filmin hangi sahnesine uygun düştüğünü saniye saniye kaydediyorum. Her saniyeyi not ediyorum. Eşi Çiğdem de yardım ediyor.

Kanal kayıtlarını kaba miksajını yapıp bana e-mail ortamında gönderiyorlar. Kayıtları nihai miksaj için  Sydney’e Roger Mills’e gönderiyorum. Bu arada, yama işi gibi algılanmaması ve sound bütünlüğü sağlayabailmek için, film için yaptığım iki bestemin üzerine çello çalmasını istiyorum. Karşı Korku ilahisi ve Bunalan Ozan İlahisi’nin kayıtlarını veriyorum. Üzerine çello çalıyor. Bunları da Sydney’e Roger Mills’e gönderiyorum. Roger da üzerinde trompet çalıyor. Miksini yapıp gönderiyor. Uğur Işık, filmin ana parçası olan ve OUTIM albümüm için Bristol’de kaydettiğim Mircanishi Nanni üzerinde de çello çalıyor.  Kar Beyaz filmi müziğinin mastering çalışmalarını yapan Osman Kent, Mircanishi Nanni- Mircan’ın Ninnisi adlı parçanın bu yeni versiyonunu hiç beğenmiyor. Parçayı berbat etmiş. Kesinlikle bu halini kullanmamalısın, diyor. Ayıp olmasın diye, parçanın bu halini de kısacık, çocuğun zagoru dereye düşürdüğü sahnede kullanıyorum.

Uğur Işık kanal kayıtlarını verdikten sonra, filmin müziği ile ilgili hiçbir katkıda bulunmuyor zaten bulunması da gerekmiyor çünkü bu kayıtları kullanmaya karar veren, nerede nasıl kullanılacağını belirleyen kişiyim. Günlerce Ağustos Filmin binasında, filmin kurgusu her değiştiğinde, müziğin kurgusunu değiştiriyoruz. Yedi tane bestemi kullanıyorum. Bir de score müzikler var. Filmin bitmiş halini, kurgu çalışmalarında hiç bulunmadığı ve bulunmak istemediği için bilmeyen Uğur Işık jenerikte adının yazıldığını da bilmiyor. Ödül töreninden önce  karısına telefon açtırarak üzerimde baskı kuruyorlar. "Televizyonda gördük. Kar Beyaz yarışmalı bölümdeymiş. Peki öyleyse, müziği de mi yarışacak. Hay allah! keşke biz de orada olsaydık". Bu vakte kadar müthiş bir kibirle son derece ilgisizi kalan, filmin başarılı olacağına zerre kadar inanmayan Işık çifti şimdi nedense ilgi gösteriyorlar. Çalışma süresince beni en çok onlarda soğutan bu kibirleri olmuştu. Bu, sebebi belirsiz kibir ve ego.

Filmin jeneriğinde herkesin adı, verdiği hizmet kadar zikrediliyor. Elbette, filmin müzik yapımcısı, müzik direktörü ve finansörü olarak adım tepede yazıyor.

Öykünün devamını bilenler biliyor. Bilmeyenler için bir kez daha hatırlatıyorum: Uğur Işık, Murat Bardakçı üzerinden olay yaratıyor. Besteleri ben yaptım, diyor. Bestelerim çalındı, diyor. Benimle ilgili, nota bile bilmez, beste yapamaz deniyor. Onun sesini efekt olarak kullandım diyecek kadar ileri gidip, Roger Mills ve Osman Kent’in destekleriyle birlikte yarattığım albümlerimdeki bestelerime talip oluyor ve Kar Beyaz’ın beyazlığına gölge düşürüyor.

Ben şimdi, şuna yanıyorum. Ödül töreninde asıl teşekkür etmem gereken insanları,  üzerimde kurulan baskı nedeniyle atladım. Asıl Osman Kent’e teşekkür etmem gerekiyordu. Asıl Roger Mills’e teşekkür etmem gerekiyordu. Bir taraftan kuruş kuruş, benden alacakları paranın hesabını sorup, bununla da yetinmeyip, taşın altına kar hesabı yapmadan elini sokan benim gibi insanları karalamaya çalışanlar teşekkürü haketmiyorlar. Teşekkür etmek te, etmemek te benim tasarrufumdadır ve  bu yüzden, ödül töreninde , bir güzelliği paylaşmayı bilecek kadar olgun olduğunu sandığım ve yanıldığım Uğur Işık’a teşekkürümü geri alıyorum. Teşekkür etmiyorum ve diyorum ki: Yazıklar olsun!

Kar Beyaz filmini seviyorum. Kar Beyaz’ın ve damarlarımdan akan müziğimin üzerine gölge düşürmeyin!!

THE MUSICAL STORY OF THE MOVIE "WHITE AS SNOW"

In spite of the fact that "White as Snow” is the first film by director Selim Güneş, the movie has succeeded in earning a place in cinema history with the awards it has received.

Immediately after receiving the award for best film score among national feature-length films at the 47^th Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival, it warmed the hearts of American viewers and was much praised at the Chicago Film Festival in the world cinema category.

More recently, it received the jury's special award at the 15th Sophia Film Festival.

It will be shown in the competitive section of the Ankara and Istanbul film festivals.

The fact that it will soon be shown at the Ankara Film Festival and the Istanbul Film Festival and that it will open in theatres on May 13, 2011 made me think, “It is time.” It is time to tell the story of the soundtrack for the movie “White as Snow”, which had a shadow cast over it by allegations started by the violoncellist* with whom I worked and taken public by a columnist after it received the best film score award at the Golden Orange Festival.

Except for Evrensel Gazette and Yeni Harman, the major newspapers remained silent about the issue and for some reason chose not want to comment, but it was hotly debated on social networking sites via the internet. However, I want to write the story of the music and share it one more time.

 It was back in the winter of 2008.  I could see outside from the desk where I sat in my flat in Padova. It was snowing. The classes and homework were very difficult at this university where I had a scholarship for advanced master’s study on the structural analysis of historical buildings. I had to work until two or three in the morning almost every day. Not only was the responsibility that came with being an engineer who had been deemed worthy of the scholarship weighing heavy on me, but I also had difficult assignments that had to be completed regularly for the online music education I was taking from England and the deadlines very strict. I told my classmates in the Construction department at Padova University that they were very fortunate in spite of the challenging schedule. They all knew that I had to complete two course of study at the same time and that I had to devote time to homework in music as well. In spite of all this, I had the opportunity to make the most of the absolute loneliness I felt there because I had at least turned over responsibility for my life in Istanbul to others. I had brought my guitar with me and so I managed to snatch a few minutes here and there. I filled them by doing things that I consider essential, such as Tao exercises, taking walks down the river and the historic streets, reading books or strumming something on the guitar and writing new songs. It was during this time that I received the e-mail from Selim Güneş, the director of the film “White as Snow”.

“Is this the same Mircan?”

This letter from Selim Güneş took me all the way back to when I was thirteen. I don’t know the reason, but my mom and dad left me with the Güneş family in Maçka district in Istanbul for fifteen days. I had to stay there. I had just lost my older brother. It was a time of my life filled with nightmares, but the Güneş family was a lively and energetic. It was crowded too. There were lots of children. Their mom and dad were warm and loving. They embraced me with the same warmth. In addition to the kids, there were nieces and nephews visiting the house too. One of these nephews was Selim Güneş.

“It is the same Mircan”

This is how the “White as Snow” musical adventure began. Selim Güneş had purchased all of my albums and listened to them. He told me that he definitely wanted to use Mircanishi Nanni (Mircan’s Lullaby) from the OUTIM album on the first film that he was planning on shooting and that he also wanted the folks songs entitled The Front of Their House is a Road and Around the Cup from the album “Ashes”, and that he wanted to work with me on a soundtrack for a movie. He sent the scenario. From the very beginning, I told him that the sound of the music that I did had a hefty price tag. From the start, I also told him that if he wanted me to do this kind of music, it was going to be expensive, but that if we used my existing pieces, it would be more affordable, etc. etc. We discussed all of the technical and financial aspects of the job through correspondence.

“Şavşat”

It was August 2009. TRT was shooting a documentary. Twelve musicians were selected and I was one of them. Therefore, they came to the village where I was born in the eastern Black Sea. Selim Güneş came as well to determine where his film would be shot. After the shooting was finished, Selim Güneş and a couple of his friends came to my cottage in the village. We talked about the film, and the next day, we all jammed into a minibus with the Güneş family from my childhood and went to see a place in Şavşat. Pelin Özer, the writer who is a witness to both the shooting and my music projects and even contributed to my OUTIM album with her haiku pieces, was with us. Meanwhile, my nephew visiting from America, Aydın Can Kutluay, was in my cottage and he recorded one of the pieces for "White as Snow" with the Protools recording device he brought with him. I sang this piece as an improvisation using the poem entitled “Hymn of a Suffocated Poet" from Gülten Akın's book “Ilahiler/Hymns”.

“Istanbul”

At this time, recording for my album “Elixir” was continuing as were my engineering projects.

I was also travelling to England for the final exam in my musical education.

“Guilford-Wutton House”

A bus before London, then a train and finally a taxi drops me off at an old mansion. It is an incredibly peaceful and serene place. But, I am here to take an exam. My music books, class notes, everything is in my travelling companion – my brown leather carry on. I am very stressed out. There is a lot that I have to study. Sometimes I studied in the garden, gazing out on the English garden; sometimes it was inside, but at every opportunity I was studying. I had filled up entire notebooks. There were some subjects that I had not completed and in which I was inadequate. (5-3 chord built from triad, root position, 6-4-3 chord built from triad with 7th, second inversion). I had written it in my notebook. My study program: Morning – Score reduction; afternoon – Style studies, Purcel&Dido and Aenas, key schemes; evening&night – Baroque-Romantic-Classic periods.

A study page from my notebook: Mozart Divertimento K563, first movement 9-17, reduction from three to two.

It was cold in Guilford. I walked with the collar on my leather coat pulled as high as it would go. I explored the streets. I entered a charming little side street. I had a bowl of hot soup and headed for the Guilford church. The church was cold. Very cold. We were rubbing our hands together. They asked for identification and passports. We placed them on our desks. Explanations were given about the exam. Then, the exam began.

Questions, questions… I was unable to answer some of them and there were some that I was sure I had answered wrong. I improvised the Schubert analysis. I was unable to play that part quite right.

The result: I received a passing grade but I was ashamed of myself for not doing better.

I could not obtain a diploma because I was unable to attend boarding school. I told myself I would do it later. I love studying music.

“Istanbul”

The first shooting from “White as Snow” and a draft scenario arrives. We watch the shooting dozens of times with Selim Güneş and his wife Nur Güneş. We exchange ideas regarding the scenario. Slowly, I begin to put the music in place after each scenario. I did all this work in the Ağustos Film building in Koşuyolu.

The more I watch it the more I feel like additional music is needed to connect the scenes and I think of music with the cello, which is the instrument that best suits the melancholy tone of my own music. If only Roger hadn’t moved to Sydney, I would go to see him in Bristol. We would have recorded something beautiful. I call Uğur Işık, a man I worked with on the “Sala” album. I tell him about the movie. I say, “It is a beautiful project.

Film directors love my music, but I don’t specialize in film music. I suggest that we do the interlude music together.” He says, “I’ll accept just because it’s you.” We watch a rough draft of the scenario with Uğur Işık and his wife. He says some things about the film which disturb me. I realize that he likes mainstream films. He says the music budget is too low and wants his name written in the credits. “Of course,” I reply. “That is not important. The important thing is for us to make the music that is best for this film.” He asks me to raise the music budget. I tell him that I have to ask the producer about that. I blush with embarrassment as I request an increase to the budget. My request is granted. There is not a lot of time. Meanwhile, Uğur has me listen to recordings he did previously but hasn’t used. I like the recordings. I told him that he didn’t have to play them again and I listen to each of them and choose appropriate pieces. I record second by second which one is best for which scene in the film. I make a note of every single second. His wife Çiğdem helps me as well.

They do a rough mix and send them to me via e-mail. I send the recordings to Roger Mills in Sydney for the final mix. Meanwhile, I ask him to play the cello on two of the compositions I did for the film to give it an integrated sound that doesn't seem like patchwork. I provide the recordings for “Hymn to Fight Fear” and “Hymn of a Suffocated Poet.” He plays the cello on top of these. I send these to Roger Mills in Sydney as well. Roger also plays the trumpet over them. He does the mix and sends it to me. Uğur Işık plays the cello over the main piece for the film which is Mircanishi Nanni, which I recorded in Bristol for my album OUTIM. Osman Kent does the mastering of the film score for “White as Snow”, but he does not like the new version of Mircanishi Nanni (Mircan’s Lullaby). He says, “He ruined the piece. You definitely can’t use this version.” I use a very short version of the piece in the scene where the child drops Zagor in the stream just to be nice.

After violoncellist provided the channel recordings, he has nothing else to do with the music and there was no need for him to because I was the one who decided to use these recordings and determined where and how they would be used. I spend days in the Ağustos Film building changing the music every time the film's plot changed. I used seven of my own compositions. Plus, there is the score music. Uğur Işık did not see the final version of the film because he did not contribute to the scenario work or even want to and so he did not know that his name was mentioned in the credits. Prior to the awards ceremony, he had his wife call me on the phone to pressure me.

Everyone is mentioned in the credits to the extent that they contributed. Of course, my name is at the top as the film’s music producer, music director and financier.

Some of you know the rest of the story. For those who don't, I'll summarize. Uğur Işık used Murat Bardakçı to create a scandal. He said, “I did the compositions. My compositions were stolen.” With regard to me, he said, “She doesn’t know how to read music and cannot compose.” He even goes so far as to say that he used my voice as an effect. He seeks my compositions from the albums I created with support from Roger Mills and Osman Kent and casts a dark shadow on the white innocence of "White as Snow".

Now, what really burns me is that I overlooked the people I should have thanked at the awards ceremony because of the pressure they put on me. The person I should have been thanking was Osman Kent. The person who deserved thanks was Roger Mills. Anyone who keeps track of the money they will get from me down to the last cent, and if that were not enough, tries to denigrate people like me who take risks without worrying about profit do not deserve to be thanked. Expressing gratitude or choosing not to is my prerogative and therefore, I take back the thanks I expressed in the awards ceremony to Uğur Işık , a person I thought was mature enough to know how to share something beautiful. Apparently I was wrong. I do not thank him and I say: Shame on you!

I love the movie “White as Snow.” Do not cast a shadow on “White as Snow”! Please, let's be a bit more sensitive. I have personally witnessed the love and enthusiasm, the sacrifice and hope with which the director and producer completed this film.